Overview
The MPA Degree, offered by the Department of Public Service & Healthcare Administration, provides a pragmatic approach to education in public service management. The program consists of eight (8) required courses and six (6) electives. It emphasizes the development of knowledge and expertise, enabling students to perform managerial and administrative work at all levels of government, nonprofit and public service institutions.
Accreditation
Established in 1974, the Suffolk MPA is one of only five MPA programs in New England to be fully accredited by the NASPAA Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation. For more information, visit NASPAA's website.
Concentrations
MPA students have the option to concentrate in four (4) public service areas: State and Local Government: Healthcare; Nonprofit Management: or Performance Management. Working with faculty advisors, students can tailor their elective choices to focus in areas of career choice.
Curriculum
14 Courses
42 Credits
Program Length:
Full-time in as few as 3 semesters
Part-time in as few as 5 semesters
The curriculum consists of eight (8) required courses and six (6) electives.
Required Courses (24 credits, 8 courses)
Foundation in Public Service Courses (9 credits)
| P.AD-711 | Foundations of Public Service and Administration | 3 |
| P.AD-712 | Information Based Management | 3 |
| P.AD-715 | Quantitative Analysis | 3 |
Managing Public Service Organizations Courses (12 credits)
| P.AD-713 | Managing Financial Resources | 3 |
| P.AD-716 | Public Service Human Resource Management | 3 |
| P.AD-717 | Organizational Change | 3 |
| P.AD-718 | Leadership Strategies for an Interconnected World | 3 |
Capstone Course (3 credits)
MPA Electives (18 credits)
Choose 6 PAD electives. Students are allowed to take 2 electives outside of the MPA program after consultation with an MPA Faculty Advisor.
PAD core courses are 700-level courses and electives are 800- or 900-level courses. Some electives are only offered every 1.5 - 2 years.
Students who have fewer than 3 years of professional public service management experience are required to take PAD-859-Internship. This 3-credit course will count as one of your 6 electives. Students who are employed full-time in a related field, but who have not yet met the three year mark, may request a waiver from this requirement.
Healthcare concentration students must complete healthcare prerequisites prior to registering for healthcare courses. MPA students may not enroll in HLTH-892. More information is available via email.
Learning Goals and Objectives
| Learning Goals |
Learning Objectives |
Demonstrate ability to apply analytical reasoning skills to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness of public service delivery systems.
(Analytical Reasoning) |
1. Identify the problem and related issues.
2. Identify key assumptions.
3. Generate salient alternatives.
4. Examine the evidence and source of evidence.
5. Identify conclusions, implications, and consequences. |
Have been exposed to a variety of leadership styles and theories, as well as limitations on leadership imposed by the political environment and the responsibilities inherent in the democratic process.
(Public Service Leadership) |
1. Demonstrate the ability to identify the environmental factors that determine effective leadership in specific situations.
2. Demonstrate the capacity to adopt appropriate leadership styles.
3. Demonstrate a knowledge of basic leadership competencies.
4. Demonstrate an ability to work effectively in groups and teams.
5. Demonstrate the capacity to interact positively with diverse citizens and a changing workforce. |
Understand and respond to the social, political, legal, and ethical factors vital in a democratic process.
(Ethics) |
1. Understand the inherent conflicts between professional bureaucracy and democracy, as well as the ethical dilemmas they may entail.
2. Identify the ethical issues associated with policy leadership by professional managers.
3. Communicate a clear and coherent philosophy of engaging the diverse constituencies that comprise the political environment as a professional manager.
4. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about the public interest and to commit to the pursuit of public value while remaining open to diverse views of the public interest. |
Demonstrate oral communication skills to effectively communicate with co-workers, citizens, clients, and all organizational stakeholders.
(Oral Communication) |
1. Organize the presentation effectively.
2. Deliver the presentation with attention to volume, clarity, grammatical correctness and precision.
3. Develop the topic.
4. Communicate with the audience.
5. Use communication aids effectively.
6. Summarize the presentation. |
Demonstrate written communication skills to effectively communicate with co-workers, citizens, clients, and all organizational stakeholders
(Written Communication) |
1. Develop a topic with supporting details.
2. Organize written communication effectively and logically.
3. Use correct word choice and effective sentence structure.
4. Employ normal conventions of spelling and grammar.
5. Provide examples and supporting evidence.
6. Communicate accurate quantitative information. |
Waiver Policy
To waive a course, a student must successfully complete equivalent coursework at the undergraduate/graduate level in the seven (7) years prior to MPA matriculation, with a grade of "B" or better, and provide official transcripts (with English translations, if applicable).
All waiver requests are evaluated upon a student's acceptance into the MPA program.
All MPA students must complete a minimum of 30 graduate credits in the Sawyer Business School.
Transfer Credit Policy
Any candidate seeking transfer credits, taken at the graduate level from an accredited graduate program, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. These credits may be considered for transfer if the credits do not apply to a previously completed degree.
Transfer credits must have earned a grade of “B” or better and be taken within seven (7) years prior to entering the Suffolk MPA program. However, at the discretion of the MPA program director, MPA courses may not be transferred if the subject material has changed significantly since completion. A maximum of twelve (12) credits may be considered for transfer.
Transfer Credits from the Moakley Center for Public Management's Certificate Program
Students who have completed a certificate program through the Suffolk University Moakley Center for Public Management may have an opportunity to reduce credit requirements to an SBS graduate degree program (MPA, MBA, MMS, MSA, MST, MHA, MSBA, or MSM). All course waivers and/or transfers vary by program and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the respective SBS Graduate Program Office.
In order for a course to be considered, the following criteria must be met: must have an SBS graduate program course equivalent; received a grade of "B" or better; and successfully completed the certificate prior to enrolling in the SBS graduate degree program.
Applicants must also meet the admission standards for the SBS graduate degree program to which they are applying.
Course Substitutions
Course substitutions may be made at the discretion of the MPA Program Director based on student needs and current skill sets.
Concentrations
MPA students who wish to declare a concentration have the following options: State and Local Government, Healthcare, Nonprofit Management, or Performance Management. Working with faculty advisors, students can also tailor their elective choices to focus in areas of career choice.
Performance Management Concentration
This concentration focuses on how public sector and non-profit organizations are moving toward new management and performance systems. This concentration will focus on the rationale for performance management and how to apply these various methods of performance management.
Choose three courses from the list below (9 credits):
| P.AD-863 | Introduction to Performance Improvement Strategies | 3 |
| P.AD-864 | Performance Measure Capacities | 3 |
| P.AD-865 | Relating Performance to Stakeholders | 3 |
| P.AD-866 | Connecting Measurement to Performance Improvement | 3 |
Healthcare Concentration
This concentration focuses on preparing nonprofit and public service managers for positions in community healthcare, community advocacy organizations, and government health agencies to manage and lead in a dynamic and changing healthcare environment.
Required Course (3 credits):
| HLTH-705 | Health Systems I: Healthcare in the U.S. | 3 |
Choose 2 courses from the list below: (6 credits):
| HLTH-807 | Innovation: The Future of Healthcare | 3 |
| HLTH-810 | Quality, Patient Safety, and Patient Experience | 3 |
| HLTH-842 | Global Health | 3 |
State and Local Government Concentration
This concentration prepares states and local government managers and officials to function as effective leaders able to respond to the changing climates of government.
Required Course (3 Credits)
| P.AD-817 | Administrative Strategies of State and Local Government | 3 |
Choose 2 courses from the list below (6 credits):
| P.AD-810 | Public Sector Admin Law | 3 |
| P.AD-814 | Collaborative Public Management | 3 |
| P.AD-819 | Grant Writing and Management | 3 |
| P.AD-822 | Public Management Information Systems | 3 |
| P.AD-827 | Financing State & Local Government | 3 |
| P.AD-828 | Public Service Communication | 3 |
| P.AD-831 | Civic Innovation and Citizen Engagement | 3 |
| P.AD-838 | Ethics in Public Service | 3 |
| P.AD-842 | Workplace and Labor Law | 3 |
| P.AD-839 | Leadership and Decision Making in Action | 3 |
Nonprofit Management Concentration
This concentration covers the field of public service with special attention given to the additional intricacies of nonprofit management.
Required Course (3 credits):
Choose 2 courses from the list below (6 credits):